The team said he was modelled after the Raiders' logo from the 1980s and 1990s.

When the mascot was first announced, CBC spoke to Ann Pegoraro, director of the Institute for Sport Marketing at Laurentian University. She expressed surprise the team would use the mascot, which would be seen differently today than it would have 20 to 30 years ago.

Pegoraro said this one in particular "might be seen as a racial stereotype, and could be seen as problematic".

In a statement posted on their website Friday, the Raiders said the organization is taking time to consider the feedback they received.

"The mascot unveiled November 14, 2014 was derivation of the team's original logo with the goal of enriching the game night experience for our loyal fans and is not intended to be offensive in nature," said the written statement, in part.

The team also apologized to anyone who may have been offended by the character.